Conor Gallagher transfer saga to end on Tuesday as Chelsea midfielder reaches ‘full agreement’

Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher will fly to Spain on Tuesday night to complete his transfer to Atletico Madrid, according to reports.

Gallagher was made available this summer after failing to agree a new contract at Stamford Bridge.

The England midfielder was one of Mauricio Pochettino’s top performers in 2023/24 but with one year left on his Chelsea contract, the club have decided to cash in on their youth graduate.

The proposed £33million transfer to Atletico Madrid has attracted plenty of criticism, with many Blues fans questioning why the hierarchy would sanction the sale of a homegrown star who arguably walks into Enzo Maresca’s best XI.

It has been another controversial summer at the Bridge, with an incredible amount of new players joining, leaving Maresca’s squad massively bloated.

This has seen fellow academy stars Armando Broja and Trevoh Chalobah – another solid performer last season – banished from the first team and forced to train with the Under-21s.

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With Chelsea’s ownership model preferring shiny new toys – usually from South America – to homegrown players, Gallagher is expected to join Atletico Madrid this month, bringing the club some pure profit as a result.

The Spanish giants agreed a fee with Chelsea last month and were expected to land the England international with young striker Samu Omorodion moving the other way.

However, talks between the Blues and Omorodion broke down , leaving Gallagher’s move to Madrid in doubt.

Chelsea, clearly desperate to offload Gallagher, have been working hard to agree a new deal with Atletico, leading them to former loanee Joao Felix.

The Londoners have been in talks over a deal to permanently sign Felix – who spent the second half of 22/23 on loan at Stamford Bridge – and are now close to making it happen, allowing Gallagher to move the other way in a separate deal.

Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher to finally join Atletico Madrid tonight

Indeed, the signing of Felix is so close that Gallagher has been told he can fly to Madrid to complete his switch to Atletico.

This is according to transfer expert David Ornstein, who states, writing for The Athletic , that the 24-year-old ‘is scheduled to fly to Spain on Tuesday evening’.

It is reported that Gallagher’s switch to the Spanish capital is worth 42 million euros (£32.3m) and ‘includes an undisclosed sell-on clause’ for Chelsea.

Personal terms were agreed a while ago, so Gallagher should pen a ‘long-term contract’ very soon.

It has been quite the ordeal for the England midfielder, who travelled to Madrid weeks ago to complete his move, only for talks with Omorodion to abruptly break down.

He has been forced to train on his own as a result and was living in a hotel in Madrid before Chelsea told him to fly home .

A medical has been completed already as Ornstein confirms Gallagher previously ‘turned down three offers of a two-year contract extension with a club option to extend for a third’, making Chelsea act now to avoid losing him on a free next summer.

Ornstein also confirms that a deal for Felix to re-join the Blues on a permanent basis is all agreed. As our man Will Ford says, it is bloody laughable.

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